The outrageous treatment of the Pacific Islands is threatening to ruin credibility of the game, writes James Corrigan.

There will be fans at Twickenham paying more for their day out than Fiji’s players get for pouring their guts out on the pitch. And as mighty England slam down their poor rugby relations, the wretched injustice of this grotesque scene could just make it tempting for one of the blood-splattered number in the white shirts to bellow out to the crowd: “Are you not entertained?” Christicus Robshawticus, perhaps?

Of course, they will be entertained and they will have every right to be, considering the hard-earned they have handed over. It is not their fault there will be a wanton iniquity on display, with the home side receiving pounds 22,000 a man for the 80 minutes and the visitors just pounds 400. And never mind at least one of their ‘home’ heroes having hailed from Fiji.

But then, neither does Ian Ritchie, the Rugby Football Union chief executive, feel this is the fault of the world’s richest union. He was spot on when saying,

“It’s not England’s responsibility to help fund world rugby” – it is World Rugby’s responsibility. Except the problem is that Ritchie is on the World Rugby council, so if he is not prepared to take any of the liability, then we should probably be advised as to whom exactly should? And therein lies the point. Because nobody in rugby seems prepared to accept this obligation.

There are a few trying to fix the player drain from the Pacific Islands, which is fundamental to this entire scandal. Gus Pichot, the vice-chairman of World Rugby, believes that if the governing body amends the residency regulation which requires players to live in a country for only three years to be internationally eligible, then they might have a better chance of retaining the talent.

It is a worthy mission, but one that Ben Ryan, the English coach who led Fiji to their Olympic sevens glory, thinks would be ultimately ineffective in this regard. He is sure the stars would leave anyway to play for the clubs with the biggest wallets regardless of the international carrot.

Ryan is certain that the only fix is to bring a mountain of money to the homeland. A properly financed Super Rugby franchise would persuade the Fijians to remain. Ryan insists the backers are in place and the multi-million dollar franchise could be up and running by 2018.

However, it says so much about this ungodly mess that the Fiji Rugby Union claims to have no knowledge of Ryan’s plans. In truth, the FRU is an utter shambles which is effectively controlled by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, a military dictator who Amnesty International lists as ruling with “a climate of fear”. World Rugby, itself, is understandably wary of the corruption, so much so that just two years ago it cut off all funding to Fiji until it sorted out its governance. It evidently still does not trust the FRU, just as it does not trust the unions in Samoa and Tonga.

In May, it denied the three countries the right to have their own places on the council, but did allow in Georgia, the US and Romania. Yes, the Pacific Islanders are deemed fit to play the top sides, but not to sit at the top table. Instead, they are kept down and lowly under the umbrella of Oceania, a vast region also including Papua New Guinea.

So, just consider this – an estimated 30 per cent of the players in the last World Cup came from the Pacific Islands and yet they have less than one vote between them.

Whatever it takes, World Rugby needs to address this outrageous disparity and address it quickly. Because the bias is bearing a huge influence between the posts and thus threatening to ruin the credibility of the sport. And in south-west London on Saturday, that will never be more shamefully obvious.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.